Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutna Hora

Northern capital of Belarus, Vitebsk, has a rich history along with Polotsk, Turov and. The city spreads along the coastline of the Western Dvina at the confluence of the Vitba River, after which it is named, and Luchesa. It was founded as a castle by Princess Olga in 974. Already by the XV century. belonged to the fifteen largest cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later took possession of the Magdeburg Law, along with which he received a coat of arms - the head of the Savior with a blade under it. The city actively traded with the Balts, Czechs, Germans, Italians, Hungarians and residents of the Moscow state. Today, the sights of Vitebsk attract a sufficient number of tourists every year. In this article, we will consider:

Church of St. Barbara

Church of St. Barbara built in 1785, it is a basilica with three naves, two tower tiers, from the original wooden one it was transformed into a neo-romanesque-neo-gothic red brick church. A few years later, a chapel of the Holy Cross was also built next to the temple. It is a basilica with two towers on the main facade.

At the end of the 19th century, the number of parishioners was much larger than the church could accommodate. Therefore, it was decided to build a new temple. The new church was consecrated in December 1885 in honor of Saints Barbara and Joseph.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was closed and used as a warehouse. During the Second World War the building was partially destroyed.

Having suffered from the war and the Soviet alteration into a warehouse. Restored in 1990, now a functioning Catholic church. Until 2011 it was a cathedral.

Victory Square “Three bayonets”

Almost every city in Belarus has a memorial complex dedicated to the heroes of the Second World War. An unusual complex popularly known as " Three Bayonets” rises on the banks of the Dvina River.

The memorial complex "To the Liberators of Vitebsk - Soviet soldiers, partisans and underground workers" (it is correctly called that) was erected in 1974 on Victory Square. The architect of the project was Yu.V. Spit. The memorial complex, in addition to the central monument, includes 2 pools with small fountains, sculptural compositions and 10 pylons located on both sides of the square.

Three bayonets of the main monument symbolize the feat of the heroes of the bloody war. Each of the 56-meter bayonet obelisks is decorated with cast reliefs: "Warriors", "Underground", "Partisans". The pylons of the main complex are united by a fundamental monolithic frieze. Inside the complex, on a podium in the form of a star, the Eternal Flame is lit, which seems to illuminate the inscription on the inner ring, uniting 3 bayonets, which reads "Glory to the Heroes."

At the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century, a decision was made to reconstruct one of the main attractions of Vitebsk. At the beginning of May 2010, the symbol of the city appeared before the residents and tourists in a new look. After reconstruction, the memorial complex opened an alley of military glory, which includes an exposition of military equipment, most of which has been preserved since the Second World War. The symbolism of the memorial complex is somewhat reminiscent of the memorial complex mound of Glory.

Assumption Cathedral

Assumption Cathedral located on the mountain of the same name, built in the likeness of a building blown up by Soviet activists. It was originally erected in 1785, became Orthodox by decree of Paul I and acquired its modern name in 1799.

In 1930-40 the temple was destroyed to the ground. Restored at the beginning of the 21st century by architects I. Rotko and A. Mikhailyukov. Assumption Cathedral has taken pride of place among the main attractions of the Vitebsk region, is a monument to the Vilna Baroque.

From the mountain on which the Assumption Cathedral is located, an amazing view of the city opens. The history of this place is full of secrets and mysteries. It is believed that before the construction of the first church here (initially this mountain was called Lysa) there was a pagan temple where they worshiped Makosh, the goddess of fate, fertility and the hearth. The fate of the temples that preceded the real Assumption Cathedral in Vitebsk was tragic - about seven buildings burned down, were dismantled or simply destroyed.

This holy place is worth a visit to listen to the ringing of the bell, which weighs 5200 kg. It is the largest in Belarus.

Holy Intercession Cathedral

When exploring the sights of Vitebsk, one cannot fail to mention Holy Protection Cathedral, which belongs to the main Orthodox buildings of the blue-eyed. The cathedral was created in the form of a monument of classicism.

Initially, it was a church with a Catholic past from the monastery of the Trinitarians. It was modernized into a stone foundation already at the beginning of the 19th century, but in 1831 the Catholics were expelled, and after 9 years the church became an orphanage and a little later - a prison for women.

At the beginning of 1858 the temple became Orthodox. During the war, it experienced serious destruction of the main elements, and in 1980 it was almost blown up. Now under its roof there is a sisterhood, workshops of seamstresses and icon painters, an extensive storage of books, etc.

The foundation of the Trinity Monastery was laid at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries; on its land there were Trinity Cathedral, and Church of the Intercession. Around 1656, Patriarch Nikon presented the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. After the fire and the subsequent destruction of the Church of the Intercession, a new stone temple arose and was consecrated. Kazanskaya is the only church that was not closed by the authorities after the hostilities.

Excursions in Vitebsk

It is worth noting the enormous cultural contribution Vitebsk, introduced by Chagall and Pen, Kandinsky and Malevich, Repin and Dobuzhinsky. The city became a stronghold of avant-gardism, not losing ground even now. Now cultural calling card are Slavic Marketplace, theater them. Ya. Kolas, Chagall Museum.

Vitebsk City Hall

Vitebsk City Hall- one of the few representatives of this type of surviving buildings. The original wooden structure was erected in 1597 when Magdeburg rights were granted.

The modern structure in the Baroque style, where the local history museum is located, dates back to 1775, then it consisted of two floors and a tower in the middle, in 1911 the third floor was completed.

Church of the Annunciation

This Orthodox church is one of the oldest, as it was built in 974, at the dawn of the founding of the city of Vitebsk. That is why the temple is considered one of the most worshiped places in the city. Of course, over the entire period of its existence, the church was subject to pogroms, explosions, and reconstruction, but despite this, it remains the main architectural monument of the city.

Church of the Annunciation- representative ancient Polotsk architectural direction of the 12th century, has a six-pillar three-apse cross-domed shape. It is assumed that the construction was made by the Byzantines, this is proved by the technique seen only in Constantinople.

Under Soviet rule, the church was abandoned, was in disrepair, and was closed for a long time. During the Great Patriotic War, the building of the temple was destroyed, but at the same time the temple turned out to be a reliable shelter, and sheltered within its walls a huge number of affected residents of the city who lost their homes. It was blown up in 1961 by Khrushchev. In the nineties it was restored on the basis of a five-meter conserved masonry.

1992 was a significant year for the church, as a project was developed and approved to restore the church to its original form. The masonry of the temple was left unplastered in order to have an idea of ​​what the walls looked like in the first centuries after construction. Already at the beginning of January 1999, the first service was held in the temple.

Church of Alexander Nevsky

The wooden church of St. Alexander Nevsky is located very close to Blagoveshchenskaya, in a park area, on Millennium Square. The unusual building of 1990 is made of wood.

Resurrection Church

The temple took shape in 2009, but the church was copied from a 16th-century temple, blown up in 1936, belonging to the Vilna baroque, dated 1772. Initially belonged to the Uniates, and became Orthodox in 1834. It has eleven bells.

Marc Chagall Museum and Art Center

Chagall Museum- part of the ensemble dedicated to this great creator, avant-garde artist. The ensemble itself is one of two in the world, the other is in Nice. The museum is based on the house built by Chagall's father in 1901-1905. A monument to a celebrity has been erected in the yard. The exposition in the house is expressed by copies of archives, photographs and works of Chagall, as well as elements of the life of the whole family.

The Marc Chagall Art Center opened its doors in 1992, despite the dissatisfaction of the townspeople, because the artist and his works contradicted the canons of life of a simple Soviet person. In the art center, you can find a large number of letters from residents, asking them not to open another museum dedicated to the artist in Vitebsk. Unlike many other museums dedicated to the life and work of Chagall, the art center in its exposition focuses on showing the inner perception of the great avant-garde artist through his paintings and scenography.

The Marc Chagall Art Center is truly unique: the museum's rooms contain more than 300 different works by the avant-garde artist, including lithographs and etchings. The museum has long and painstakingly collected the works of the artist from all over the world. Chagall's children and grandchildren, friends and acquaintances - many donated illustrations and graphic works from different periods of creativity to the museum. Also, on the basis of the art center, a scientific library has been opened, where more than 3,000 publications are stored. Thanks to the generous gift of the German doctor Heinrich Mandel, who presented the art museum with many books and graphic samples.

We advise you to visit the Marc Chagall Art Center on June 7th. On this day, the birthday of the recognized master is celebrated. The House-Museum and Art Center named after Marc Chagall arrange colorful events and exhibit the most famous works of the artist, collected around the world. Not only these two museums, but the whole city plunges into the holiday atmosphere. Readings are held on the streets and artists perform.

Yakub Kolas National Academic Drama Theater

The theater is located on the banks of the Western Dvina River. The construction of the theater building, which adorns the Millennium Square in Vitebsk with its facade, began in 1956. After 2 years, the project of two architects I. Ryskina and A. Maksimov was completed.

The middle of the 50s of the 20th century was not easy for architects: the policy of rejecting "unnecessary excesses" and the rejection of the "Stalin Empire" style forced I. Ryskina and A. Maksimov to simplify the project and make it look like many others. The main entrance is adorned with a Doric portico, decorated with eight columns and a triangular pediment. From the side of the bank of the Dvina River, the facades are decorated with pilasters, stucco inserts and rustication, classic for that period. The rear façade is crowned by another four-columned portico.

Since the opening of the National Academic Theater named after Yakub Kolas, many performances and plays have been staged, both by Belarusian playwrights and world writers. The theater rightfully bears the name of Yakub Kolas: the audience saw almost all the plays of the national writer. However, the most famous, by right, is the play-comedy "Nesterka" by V. Volsky, which premiered back in 1946. and continues to this day. A lot of concerts and creative projects are held on the stage of the theater with a full house: "At Nine Muses" and "Musical Meetings", the International Competition for Young Performers "Vitebsk" and many others. Dozens of famous dramatic actors are inextricably linked with this theatre. And the theater troupe is constantly replenished with new talents - graduates of BGHTI and other educational institutions.

The following structures are also worthy of attention: the Basilian monastery founded in 1682, which has three floors and a T-shaped shape; The Holy Spirit Monastery of the 15th century, also restored from nothing, has a church with one dome and a 2-storey building; a monument to the heroes of the war of 1812 in the form of a column with a unique composition; the Jewish school "Talmud Torah", represented by an institution for the study of Hebrew for the poor and orphans; diocesan women's school in the form of a three-story building with striking decor.

Summing up, I would like to note the contradictory spirit of Vitebsk with its strange, charming mixture of modernity and ancient foundations, peeping from every corner of the city. For the townspeople, this is familiar, but for guests it seems possible to plunge into the ancient echo of our Belarus.

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From an architectural point of view, it is a gothic cathedral of the basilica type. The reason for its construction is quite unique. It was not built by order of some religious organizations, or for the liturgical needs of the parish, but from the very beginning it was built as a large representative building on the initiative of wealthy burghers from the city of Kutná Hora.

According to canon law, it was originally only a chapel. However, architecturally it can safely compete with the cathedral in Prague. It expresses contemporary tensions between Prague and Kutná Hora, and between Kutná Hora and the Sedlec Monastery, which had great influence even though Kutná Hora was a royal city. Thus, the church was built outside the city walls on the land of the head of Prague.

Since 1995, the cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The construction of the Cathedral of St. Barbara began in 1388, according to some sources, this building should have been twice as long. The construction was carried out in several stages and was largely associated with the prosperity of the silver mines in the city of Kutna Hora. Work stopped in 1558 and the church was closed to the west with only a temporary wall.

The following interventions were only supportive. In 1626, the cathedral was handed over to the Jesuits, who built a college next to it. Baroque changes were carried out after the fire. First of all, a baroque roof was built.

Between the years 1884 and 1905, on the initiative of the local Archaeological Society Vocel, a Purist reconstruction took place, in which the building was not only restored, but also extended one yard to the west, where a new neo-Gothic façade was built. The baroque roof has been replaced with a gothic tent, which roughly corresponds to the original gothic design.

The first designer and builder of St. Barbara's Cathedral was Jan Parler, the son of Peter Parler, the builder of St. Vitus Cathedral. Jan Parlerge built the oldest part of the building according to the eyes of the French cathedrals. The originally built three-nave was soon expanded with wide outer aisles, but with the advent of the Hussite wars, construction was suspended for the first time for sixty years.

Until then, it had reached almost half of its current height, but the central three-nave was not vaulted. Before construction began in 1547, there was no vault and the cathedral was not immune from rain. It was built from sandstone collected from nearby mines.

Work on the construction of the cathedral was restored in 1482, at first local builders worked here, who continued the intentions of the founder of the buildings, Jan Parler.

From 1489 to 1506, until his death, Matej Reisek worked on the completion of the church. He built the choir, the triforium, the basilica windows, the net groin vaults (completed 1499) and the corresponding part of the outer buttress. The building interventions of Matej Reisek are characterized by the use of very rich late Gothic decor. According to his project, construction continued until 1509.

In order to use the church, it was necessary first of all to finish the sloping nave of the basilica. However, the arrival of Reith's respected architect, Benedict Reed, in 1512 meant a radical change.

Reith, in addition to the upper part of the nave, built two also high side naves, which are higher than the arcades, open in the nave as empora, which are about 1.15 m below the level of the triforium, thanks to which, together with them and the entire upper part of the church, everything looks like one whole.

At its core, a new church was built over the original church, in the late Gothic style with groin vaults and illuminated by many large windows. The illusion of a “church above the church” was also emphasized by the rather unusual location of the altar in the second tier.

According to the project of Reith, they built after his death, but with a gradual decrease in silver mining, there was a lack of funds, so in 1558 work was finally stopped, although it did not come to the construction of the last part of the nave. The last changes were completed in 1905.

The chancel contains a late Gothic pastophorium from the workshop of Matthias Reisek, which dates back to around 1510. The benches for the choir are decorated with carvings by master carver Jakub Nymburk.

Remarkable and unique in Czech medieval art are the preserved late Gothic frescoes with a mining theme in some of the chapels, for example in the Hasplir Chapel you can find an illustrated work with a winch. In another chapel, the medieval technique of minting coins is depicted on the walls.

However, the most unique decorations in the Smishkovskaya chapel (1485-1492) depict typologically the scenes “The Queen of Sheba comes to King Solomon, the trial of Trajan and the Crucifixion.” In the lower part of the chapel, these scenes are complemented by an even more remarkable “litterati” painting - the preparation of liturgical instruments for worship . The artist who created these paintings was not only very capable, but also well informed about contemporary Italian painting.

The most beautiful parts of the exterior are the sculptures that are in the highest part of the building, especially on the buttress. In addition to the flower turrets mentioned above, a variety of depictions of fauna and flora, satirical figures, demons and mythical creatures can be found.

Poche, Emanuel: Umělecké památky Čech 2, Praga, Academia, 1978
Kalina, Pavel: Benedikt Ried a počátky záalpské renesance, Praga, Academia, 2009

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Church_of_Saint_Barbara_(Kutn%C3%A1_Hora)

Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutna Hora (Czech Republic) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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The Late Gothic Cathedral of St. Barbara is perhaps the most famous architectural landmark of Kutna Hora. This impressive temple is the second largest Gothic church in the country. And its religious significance is very great. The architecture of the Roman Catholic church is so specific that it can be called one of the most authentic Gothic religious buildings in Central Europe. In 1995, UNESCO included the cathedral in the List of World Heritage Sites.

Interestingly, the construction of the cathedral was not initiated by any ruler or religious order. All this was started by local entrepreneurs, they wanted to separate from the monastery, which was the closest religious center to the city. Although, according to the legend, the situation was a little different: three miners fell into the mine, and everyone began to pray in his own way. The first two asked for little, but the third prayed for a year of life in order to do a good deed. This year was given to the last St. Varvara, and the surviving miner began to build a temple.

The result of all these centuries-old alterations has become a completely unique, majestic building that has no equal.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1388, but work was interrupted several times. It was finally completed only in 1905. The first architect who worked on it was Johann Parler, the son of Peter Parler, who built the Cathedral of St. Vitus and Charles Bridge in Prague. Some evidence indicates that the father assisted the son in at least the initial drawings. Kutná Hora developed rapidly, grew richer and strove to be in no way inferior to Prague: the townspeople wanted their cathedral to be exactly like the capital's, only bigger and better. During the Hussite wars, construction was interrupted for as much as 60 years, and subsequently the original design was significantly changed.

St. Barbara was considered the patroness of miners, and, accordingly, of the city, whose welfare was based on silver mines.

So, it was originally planned to make the church much larger: at least twice. And this is not to mention the fundamental design features, such as five naves instead of the final three. But the construction depended solely on the work of the silver mines, and the latter began to give less profit than we would like. In 1588, the unfinished building was surrounded by a wall, and the cathedral remained in this state until 1884. In the 17th century, the Jesuits had a hand in altering it, adding baroque elements; in the 17th century, the cathedral was remodeled in neo-Gothic style. The result of all these centuries-old alterations has become a completely unique, majestic building that has no equal. In its external appearance, various mythical and semi-mythical figures like gargoyles, lined up on the sides, are especially distinguished.

Cathedral of St. Barbara

The interior of the cathedral is definitely worth seeing from the inside. Here you can see the most interesting frescoes: in addition to religious subjects, they reflect the details of the life of a miner and the minting of silver. Other noteworthy elements of the interior of the temple are the late Gothic pastophorium, created at the beginning of the 16th century, carved wooden benches in the choir stalls, vaults with many interestingly shaped ribs and coats of arms, and beautiful stained-glass windows. In addition, in the cathedral you can see a statue of a miner.

Practical Information

St. Barbara's Cathedral is located at the end of Barborska Street, near the river, south of the city center.

Entrance: for adults - 120 CZK, for people over 65 years old and students from 15 to 26 years old - 90 CZK, for children from 6 to 15 years old - 50 CZK, children under 6 years old - free of charge.

Opening hours: daily, from April to October - from 9:00 to 18:00 (admission is limited half an hour before closing), from November to December - from 10:00 to 17:00, January and February - from 10:00 to 16:00, March - from 10:00 to 17:00. Closed December 24th.

Prices on the page are for August 2018.

In total, 517 years of construction, this is a record long-term construction in the Czech Republic. Do not think that from the beginning of construction the temple stood empty. They prayed in it, services were held, even in the unfinished one.

Who is Saint Barbara?

This is the Holy Great Martyr, the patroness of firefighters, climbers and miners. It is not surprising that the main temple in Kutna Hora is named after her.

Saint Barbara has always been deeply revered by local miners. It was to her that the miners prayed during the blockages. There are hundreds of legends about her help when she helped move the heaviest stones, illuminated the passages in the mines, showed the way to the exit from the tunnels.

The support of St. Barbara has always been important for Kutná Hora, no money was spared for the cathedral.

In the Catholic tradition, Saint Barbara protects from unexpected attacks and fires. She is often depicted with a shield or a fortress tower, as seen in the photo next to it, click on the photo to enlarge.

In honor of her, a city in California was named, which is called “Santa Barbara”. The city became the center of events of the famous series, which most readers remember exactly.

Paradoxically, the name after Saint Barbara did not help the city of "Santa Barbara" in 1925, when it was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. The Cathedral of St. Barbara in Kutna Hora also did not escape several fires.

What to see outside and inside

No other temple has such decorative elements. Chimeras, bats, harpies, frogs, winged rams and other real and fantastic animals can be found on the ceiling and walls. On one of the southern pillars, you can find a monkey with an orange.

To see all the splendor of the decor inside and out, we recommend bringing binoculars with you. This is not a joke, take binoculars, you won't regret it.

Such a varied and interesting decor is associated with the desire of the inhabitants of Kutna Hora, especially its elite, to demonstrate their significance and wealth, to make something unique.

In addition, the city of Kutna Hora sought to relieve itself of the burden of dependence on the Sedlec Monastery. By the way, according to legend, it was the monk from this monastery who discovered the silver deposit. Residents of Kutna Hora had to ask the Pope for permission to build a temple. Of course, they got it, and the wealth of the city was the main argument for that.

The main altar in the cathedral is the latest element. In the center of it you will see the image of the Last Supper. To the right of it at the top is the face of St. Barbara.

An early late Gothic altarpiece was removed by the Jesuits in 1502. It was they who initiated the finishing of some chapels with a combination of gilding and black material.

The walls in the church are decorated with medieval frescoes. The most valuable of them have been preserved in the Smishkova Chapel. Smishek M. was a famous person in Kutna Hora, played an important role in the silver industry, the construction of the temple and the life of the city. Above the stained-glass window we will see murals depicting his family.

The stained-glass windows are also interesting. The decor appeared already at the end of the construction of the church. This is a painting on glass, it was made according to the sketches of paintings on historical themes by Frantisek Urban. Jakub Nymburk, a master carver, immortalized his skill in the choir shops.

Pay attention to the department. It was carved by a certain Leopold the stonemason in 1560. After 100 years, the Jesuits added wood cladding and decorations to it. They also came up with the idea of ​​creating an organ cabinet. The organ is placed on the balcony of the main portal.

Do not be surprised at the figure of a man in a white robe. This is a sculpture of a miner in a working raincoat. The cloak was white, so that in the event of a blockage, you could see the worker and save him (or pull out the corpse). On their knees, the miners of silver ore were chiseling the earth with a working tool, holding a burner in their other hand.

The upper gallery exhibits collections of sculptures from past eras. Here you can also see sculptures on the organ: angels with instruments in their hands. They were created in the second half of the 18th century. The internal mechanism of the tool is an amazing creation of human hands. It consists of 3 keyboards, 45 registers, 4 thousand pipes. The organ is the work of master Jan Tucek.

Another reminder of the Jesuit order is present in the temple: one of the frescoes shows the story of the wounding of Ignatius Loyop, the founder of the Jesuit order, who, after being wounded, became a monk.

The cathedral complex includes a chapel, the construction of which on the slope near the cathedral was started by Jan Parlerge. The first floor was erected, and on the second floor, an observation deck was built in our times. From here you will see all the beauty of Kutná Hora, landscape paintings of the Vrchlice valley and the local river.

The hall for parishioners is interesting in its own way. The wealth of Kutna Hora in the old days is evidenced by separate places for executioners and their families. Keeping people of such a profession in ancient times was an expensive pleasure. There were several executioners in Kutna Hora!

The temple has special rows for noble citizens, for the head of the city and his retinue. There is a legend about a bench made of solid wood, decorated with skillful carvings, located in the center of the temple. The bench was made for the Church of St. Vitus, but the Kutnogorsk people "intercepted" the order, having paid twice as much for the work. The inhabitants of the city did not let up to wipe the nose of the citizens of Prague.

In Catholic churches there is always a booth for confession. There are several of them in the Cathedral of St. Barbara. This fact is explained by the fact that a college was built near the church, and the youth are oh so frivolous, reckless and sinful.

The temple also features special stands depicting the scheme of construction of Gothic temples. This information will be of interest to architecture students. You can get acquainted with the history of the city, with the stages of the construction of the temple in the museum.

I wonder how it is formed, how the feeling of division into friends and foes is laid? In my Belarusian childhood, and almost every summer I spent in the city of Slonim, Grodno region (Western Belarus, until 1939 - Poland), a woman named Yadviga or Aunt Yadya, as we called her, lived in the house next to my grandmother. So, we - children - clearly knew that she was a Catholic. Where in the Soviet infancy, with the dominant atheistic ideology, we had this knowledge, which in real life meant little, I do not remember. But for some reason, in the Belarusian apples and sweets that she treated us to, there was always a strange Catholic taste, felt, as I now understand, not by taste buds, but by some area of ​​the brain responsible for tribal feelings. As if behind Aunt Yadya, with her slightly arrogant voice and appearance, despite the absolute poverty and simplicity of existence, there was a powerful, great - what is there, egregor, burdened by more than a thousand years of history - with exploits and crusades, with the fires of the Inquisition and all the popes combined. And it was not that she was Polish. In Western Belarus, you will not surprise anyone with Poles. It was her Faith that mattered. And in her infallible confidence that the Truth is only in this Faith.

The religious history of Belarus is very complex and tragic. This is today the Orthodox Church - the largest religious denomination on the territory of the modern Republic of Belarus (4.5 million people, about half of the country's population). And there was a time when the very existence of the Orthodox faith in these lands was under threat.

These lands were christened almost simultaneously with other lands of Kievan Rus. But after the Mongol invasion of Russia, all Belarusian lands became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1385, Grand Duke Jagiello concluded the Union of Krevo with Poland, one of the conditions of which was the baptism of the pagans of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (of whom there were still many both in Polesie and on the territory of present-day Lithuania) according to the Latin rite. Privileges were created for the Catholics, and part of the Orthodox nobility converted to Catholicism. After the Union of Lublin in 1569, the influence of Catholicism began to increase, and active Polonization of Belarusian lands began. Almost the entire Belarusian elite (corrupt or let's say ... far-sighted, as is often the case) has changed both Faith and language. The Orthodox Faith of the ancestors was kept by the common people...

In 1596, on the initiative of some Belarusian and Ukrainian Orthodox bishops, as well as with the support of the authorities of the Commonwealth, the Union of Brest was proclaimed, which marked the beginning of the existence of the Greek Catholic Church in Belarus,

retained its rites, but obeyed the Pope.

The Orthodox population and clergy resisted the imposition of the union. The most famous example of resistance is the lynching of the Orthodox inhabitants of Vitebsk over the Archbishop of Polotsk Iosafat Kuntsevich in 1623. Orthodox townspeople united in brotherhoods to protect their churches and priests from the planting of an alien faith. But the Commonwealth from year to year intensified religious persecution of the people. Catholicism and the Greek Catholic religion were imposed in every possible way.

Cruel, violent methods of planting religion, of course, gave certain results: in the 18th century, the majority of the population were in the bosom of the Uniate Greek Catholic Church. During the heyday of the Commonwealth, Catholicism was practiced by up to 40% of the population of Belarus, mainly in the west and in large cities. The situation changed radically after the division of the Commonwealth and especially after 1839, when the Uniate parishes were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Russian Empire.

But even the most cruel persecution of Catholics could not inflict the same damage on the Orthodox in Belarus that the Soviet regime did to them. During the Soviet period, especially since 1929, in Eastern Belarus, as well as throughout the USSR, almost all churches were closed, and clergymen were repressed. In the Byelorussian SSR, on December 20, 1936, 1,371 churches out of the previously operating churches were closed, and services continued only in 74...

Now in Belarus 10.5% of the population professes Catholicism. But the Catholic Church is active in missionary activity. New temples are being built. The Belarusian leadership is also flirting with Catholicism. During his last trip to the Vatican in May 2016, Lukashenka called the theocratic state one of Belarus' best friends in Europe. Religion, as always, is actively used in politics.

The Church of St. Barbara in Vitebsk is located away from the main streets, not far from the railway station, next to the Polotsk market and stands out with its height and architecture from the surrounding low-rise buildings. The church was built at the end of the 19th century according to the project of engineer-architect Viktor Piotrovsky. The architecture of the temple combines the features of Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque styles. It is a three-nave basilica with two two-tiered towers on the main facade. The volume of the temple is divided into naves by four powerful pillars. The naves are covered with barrel vaults. The central nave ends with a semicircular apse.

The first tier of towers is tetrahedral, the second - hexagonal. The towers, each of which is decorated with six small pediments, end with tents with crosses. Between the towers there is a triangular gable the width of the central nave. The Church of St. Barbara has arched windows of various sizes. Outside, the church is decorated with cornice belts made of brickwork, window endings. The interior decoration is represented by a dense entablature along the perimeter of the main nave. Altars in the Romanesque-Gothic style.

The territory of the church is surrounded by a brick fence with a gate. The church is a monument of republican significance and is included in the "State List of Historical and Cultural Values ​​of Vitebsk"

Services were held until 1935. Then the building was given over to a fertilizer warehouse, which over time had a very bad effect on the brickwork. During the Great Patriotic War, the towers of the church were partially destroyed.

The building was slowly destroyed until 1988, when the church of St. Barbara began to be restored, initially planning to organize a concert hall here. But through the efforts of the Polish missionary Janusz Skeczek, the church became an active Catholic church.

It was re-consecrated by Archbishop Kazimir Sviontak in 1993. Until June 2011, it was a cathedral in the Vitebsk diocese (eparchy). But on June 18, 2011, the new Church of Merciful Jesus became the cathedral church of the diocese.

The parishioners still remember Janusz Skeczek with a kind word - the restoration of the temple took place mainly through his efforts. It was his selfless work, together with the parishioners of the then small parish organized by him. For several years after the restoration, he served in the church, and then, when an order came from Poland to change the parish, “he, with one bag, as soon as he arrived, got on the train and left for Poland.” Now the parish of the church has 500 people.